Day 5 - To Hell and Back

In Jewish history, there was a valley known at the Valley of Hinnom and it was a terrible place. In the days leading up to the beginning of the era of kings for the Jewish people, this valley was used for idol worship and sacrifices. Pagan worshippers would sacrifice their children in the Valley of Hinnom. King Josiah ended these practices, but people still thought of the place as unclean. Animal carcasses and unburied criminals who had been executed were dumped there. The blood from the animal sacrifices at the Temple flowed into this valley. Fires were constantly burning there to prevent putrefaction from filling the air. Whatever didn't burn was constantly being eaten by worms.

The place is known by its Hebrew name of Gehenna. Eventually, any severe punishment was described as Gehenna.

Jesus used the word Gehenna several times. In Matthew 5, when talking against adultery, Jesus equates looking lustfully at a person with adultery. He then says that if your eye is the problem, gouge it out. And then these famous words, "It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into..." guess where? "Gehenna." Or later in Matthew 23 when he is taking the Pharisees to task over their pattern of begin outwardly correct, but inwardly corrupt, Jesus says to them, "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to..." guess where? "Gehenna."

The other name for Gehenna you will find in your Bible is hell. Today we went to hell. We walked right through the middle of this valley on the south side of the Old City.

The imagery suddenly came to life for me. It made sense to me. Everyone in Jerusalem would have immediately gotten the imagery when Jesus used it. Gehenna was the dump. It was a place of no return, a place where things were eaten by worms, and a place where putrid fires burned constantly. It was not unlike the dump I saw years ago in a Honduran city dump. It didn't take much imagination to get Jesus' point. It was a symbol of dreadful judgments and utter destruction.

So we went all to hell today. That was fun.

It really was fascinating. And so was the rest of the day. We began the day at the location tradition teaches is where Jesus ascended into heaven. As a side note, I'm starting to get used to being able to speak and write about such things without thinking, "Did I just say that? Am I really in the place where everything I value most took place?Pinch me, pinch me, pinch me. I'm really here!" It was powerful to be able to touch the spot at the top of the Mount of Olives where the disciples were all gathered, and then...he was gone up to heaven (in the picture). I've gotten over the thought that "maybe it wasn't right here." You can't be cynical and do this trip. I'm going with it. I knelt down, touched it, and thanked God for the salvation Jesus brought me and this world. Even if it wasn't right there... it was very, very close. And that had me, once again, happy beyond measure.

We then went to the tomb where Jesus' mother Mary is said to be buried. And then to one of my favorite places of the day: Gethsemane. This is the garden where Jesus prayed just before his arrest and trials that led to his crucifixion. It was only a matter of hours before Jesus would be executed and he knew it. He wanted to pray to his Father and did... in Gethsemane. The place had such a mystical quality to it. I was especially happy we got to go to a private section and not the public section for all tourists. We had some time to be quiet and pray. I have a vivid imagination. I could imagine Jesus there praying and sweating blood while his closest friends slept. I could imagine the kiss of betrayal by Judas and the long walk across the Kidron Valley (which we walked on the very path he took at the bottom of the valley).

After a few more stops in the valleys outside of the Old City, we boarded the bus and headed for Bethlehem. It was a quick bus ride away from Jerusalem and I was not quite expecting what happened next. Our tour guide is a great guy named Ezra. He is an Israeli citizen. Bethlehem is in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank. Ezra got off the bus because he couldn't go into the West Bank. Another Palestinian tour guide got on and was with us the rest of the day. He was an Arab Christian.

We went to the fields where the shepherd's heard the announcement about the birth of Jesus (Luke 2). For some reason, I have always had in my mind a nice, green, flat field where the sheep grazed. No where close. It was rocky hill country. It was rough terrain. I wasn't expecting that. Nor was I expecting the terrain and look of Bethlehem in general. It was a mess. A fellow pilgrim and I were talking and we decided Bethlehem the city looked like the Bronx in New York City put out in the rocky hills of the New Mexico or Arizona. There was trash on the streets, graffiti on walls, and buildings that never quite look like they had finished building them.

Having said that, I did get a great appreciation for the terrain the shepherd's crossed AT NIGHT to hurry into town to see the birth. It was an effort on their part. I also appreciated seeing the caves for the animals, which was likely the very place Jesus was born.

We went to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Like other churches, the main attraction was below and the church above. We went to the spot in a cave where tradition has it that Jesus was born. I couldn't help myself. I knelt down, touched the place, and prayed with Magi offering gifts on my mind, "Lord, I love you and I offer myself completely to serve you the rest of my life." I rededicated my life to Christ at the place where Christ was born. It was a moving moment.

So today we began the day in hell and ended in Bethlehem. It was a great day, but now I'm tired. Tomorrow is an open day. I'll be thinking of you as I worship with the Jerusalem Lutherans in the morning.

Shalom